An Eternal Flame
by Purple-Rose98
Summary: Ember: a hot-headed firestarter with a thing for stolen jewels, breaking rules, and Kaldur'ahm. Witness the transformartion of the new member of the Young Justice as she deals with love, revenge, disaster, and friendship. Set after S1E6. Canon.
1. Chapter 1

An Eternal Flame

Set after episode 6 of season 1.

The Team finally arrived home. Said home being a complete mess and empty of all food.

"Good job, tonight," Kaldur told the others.

"Tell that to my back," replied Kid Flash. "It's killing me."

"Perhaps I can help with that," said a voice from the shadows. The Young Justice team turned, crouched waiting for an attack. Upon seeing the assailant, Kaldur'ahm relaxed his position. "Catwoman…what are you doing here?"

"You weren't answering your pager. Since this is an emergency…." She left the sentence to hang in the silence. M'gann linked the teenagers. _What is she talking about? _Kaldur ignored her question.

"Is she in trouble?" he asked.

"She hasn't been seen or heard from in months," Catwoman replied.

"That's not unusual for her. You know how she likes to take off," Kaldur says.

"Not without calling in; which she hasn't done in months. You're the only who can find her," she responds.

Kaldur eyes the Cat suspiciously before asking, "Why can't you find her?"

"Because-", she starts.

"She's supposed in jail," Robin answers.

Kaldur'ahm sighs, "Where was she last seen?"

In the thick jungles of the Amazon, a large compound hides under the canopies of the magnificent forest. Within this compound a young girl paces the length of her jail cell. At first glance you would believe her to be an African American, but upon seeing the stripes and tribal marks that covered nearly every inch of her dark skin, you would know that this girl was not of Earth. An alien light years away from home. A captive alien.

_I need to get out of here, preferably before my captors decide what to do with me. _She continues to pace the cell, then growls at the collar around her neck. Somehow it prohibits her from using her powers. Without powers her only options for escape was the only door in the room which locked from the outside and the barred window. Taking a furtive glance at the window an idea formed in her mind. This was not her first trip to the Amazon and upon her first arrival she befriended a young tiger whom she had aptly named Savage, for his savage behavior towards others. She pulled out her whistle and played the tune she had taught him. Thirty minutes later she heard a low growl outside the window. Savage had heard her call. He growled again.

"No you can't get me out, but you can still help. I need you to patrol the edge of the forest for anyone who looks….different." Savage snorts a response.

"No not tasty, not tourists. I need you to lead him to me. He can get me out." The tiger whimpers and paws at the wall between them.

"I know, I miss you too. I'll be out soon, promise. Now go and be careful." A few moments later Savage's paws retreating from her window. _Alone again. _She then sits on her makeshift bed, pulling out a locket with her mother's picture in it. Ember sighs, her loneliness increasing by the minute._ Hurry, Kaldur_


	2. A Guide

A Guide

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update. Here's the next chapter.**

"I don't think this is a good idea," Superboy says as the Team loads into the Bio-Ship.

"Of course it's not a good idea. It's probably a trap set up by Catwoman and whoever we're supposed to "save"," Artemis replies vehemently.

"No one told you to come," Kaldur says quietly.

"What were we supposed to do? Leave you out there to die?" says Robin.

"I do not require any assistance. Catwoman is probably just overreacting. I'm positive that I'll find her lounging in a tree somewhere. And if she has been captured, then I will release her."

"Who is this girl?" asks Miss Martian. Kaldur seems set on ignoring her question until Kid Flash claims that he "has to give them something."

The leader of the small group sighs and turns in his chair to face the others.

"Her name is Ember. We are… old friends." Kaldur says. "That is all you need to know."

"Oh, come on-" Robin begins to complain but M'gann cuts him off.

"We're here."

Once the Bio-Ship had landed on the edge of the Amazon, the Team was already linked and waiting for instructions.

"Should we split up?" Robin asks.

"No need. I can track her heat," Kaldur replies. The Team looks at him curiously.

"Since when can you do that?" KF asks.

"It's only around Ember. The amount of heat coming off her body is so intense that it leaves a signature that is easy for someone who is naturally cold, such as Miss Martian or me, to sense," Aqualad replies.

"Why does she give off so much heat?" Artemis asks. Kaldur sighs as he closes his eyes to concentrate on finding Ember's heat signature. Still he responds to her question.

"Ember is a Crematorian."

Robin's eyes widened, his jaw drops as he says, "You can't be serious."

With his eyes still closed in concentration, Kaldur says he is very serious. Kid Flash, not liking the fact that he's out of the loop asks, "What's a Crematorian?" The others are as confused as KF.

Robin rolls his eyes at his team mates' ignorance.

"Crematoria is a planet not far from Krypton. It is the closest planet to the sun in that solar system, making the surface too hot to live on. Batman's files say that the inhabitants not only learned to survive on the planet but they prospered. The inhabitants adapted to the heat in… unique ways," he explains.

"In what unique ways?" M'gann asks.

"They have ability to control fire. Some even have the ability to control their own body heat as well as others," says the Boy Wonder.

Before anyone can respond, Kaldur eyes snap open.

"She has been captured. I can't find her heat signature. But her last known location was in this forest…it makes no sense. There aren't many people who would be able to win a fight with her, let alone capture her," he says.

"So we _are _going to trek through this forest?" Artemis asked.

"Yes, we are." Kaldur replies, his eyes lighting with a fierce determination.

Before the small troop could set out, an angry growl sounded through the area. A tiger roughly the size of Robin bounded from the under bush, taking the team by surprise. With his fur matted with the blood of his previous kill and his hackles raised, the tiger latched onto the leg of Miss Martian and locked its jaw, his eyes red with a maddening rage. After shaking off their shock, the team attempted to get the beast off her, but with no luck. Its skin was too thick to be penetrated by arrows or brute force. As Miss Martian's screams began to die off, a roar came from deep within the forest, making the tiger twist in its direction taking M'gann with him. The beast's eyes went from demented to frightened as his heightened senses alerted him to coming threat. Soon the Team saw it as well. Savage, with his hide shimmering like autumn leaves and retribution in his yellow gaze, locked on the beast. The beast growled in warning but Savage, paying it no heed, continued to run full speed into the tiger the sheer force knocking the beast away from Miss Martian. The two tiger proceeded to fight, the forest soon filled with growls and whimpers and much bloodshed, until finally Savage pinned the other under his weight and locked his jaw around its throat. The beast tried to buck him off but Savage was immovable and with a final growl he surrendered to Savage. Slowly Savage unlocked his jaw, allowing the tiger to scamper off and lick his wounds. After watching the other tiger walk a safe distance away Savage turned to the Team, something akin to expectance in his hypnotic stare. The members of the Young Justice stared back, unsure if they should be grateful or fearful. Savage strode toward them; his regal gait was not only human-like but similar to that of royalty. He stepped up to Kaldur and snorted, then turned back to the forest walked to the edge turned back to the Team and waited.

"I think he wants us to follow him," says Robin.

"And how do we know it's not a trap from the captors? Oh, yeah we don't," replies Artemis.

"There's one way to find out," says M'gann as she walks towards Savage. Miss Martian held her hands out to the animal, who regarded her with cool but hard eyes, a clear warning.

"Thank you for saving me," she whispered. As if he understood her, Savage put his large head in her small hands. M'gann immediately began to sift through his memories, memories so vivid it was as if she was with him always. She could see the sparkles that lit up the river during the summer, smelt the sickly sweet flowers that he ran through as a cub, and felt the friendship between him and a girl with markings that reminded him of his mother. _This must be Ember_, Miss Martian thought. And then a recent memory; _lead him to me. He'll be able to free me._ Slowly M'gann released her hold on Savage, Savage because of his savage behavior towards others. _I can see that_.

"Aqualad, he was sent by Ember to guide you to her. She knew you would come for her," she explained

"You mean she is friends with a tiger? How does that even happen?" asks KF.

"His name is Savage," M'gann responds as she pats the head that is still between her hands.

"If he was sent to guide us then we will follow," Kaldur ordered and so began their trek.

Ember awoke on the forest bed. _How….did they let me go?_ She puts a shaking hand on her throat but is stopped by the collar that is still attached to her. _So I'm not free._ The humiliation, the shame it nearly choked her but she took a few breathes and converted those feelings into something more helpful, white-hot rage. As she got up on shaky legs, she heard it, a voice. _Walk_ it says. Her body instantly obeys the order. The shock hits like the rage. This is not the first time she has a heard a voice in her mind, but it is the first male voice. She tries not to think about how wrong this is or how bad it will be. Her body continues to walk through the dense Amazon Forest until told to _stop_ and _look_. _Look for what?_ She thinks irritably. Then she hears footsteps, light footsteps, too light to be tourists. She peaks through a bush. She sees Savage first leading a group of….teens? She can't hold back her gasp as Kaldur comes into view, his stance feral, his eyes fierce and as blue as the ocean that has scared her all her life. Though she didn't recognize all of the team it was obvious why they were here; to save her. Her mood went from irritable to smug._ They will stop you,_ she thought. The voice ignores her and says, _KILL_.


End file.
